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Peter Banta

Peter Banta represented several leading media entities in his career, including Time, Inc. and The New York Times Company.

Peter Banta (1935-2016) was a New Jersey-based attorney active in First Amendment law.He represented a litany of leading media entities in his career, including Time, Inc. and The New York Times Company.

Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Banta earned his undergraduate degree at Williams College and his law degree from Harvard University.He practiced law at his law Winne Banta for more than 55 years.

In his First Amendment practice, Banta co-defended The New York Times and its reporter Myron Farber from an attempt by authorities to force Farber to disclose his confidential sources.In that litigation, Banta worked with New York libel law attorney Floyd Abrams.The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled in In Re Farber (1978) that Farber could be held in contempt for refusing to disclose his sources.

Banta successfully defended Time magazine in a libel lawsuit Schiavone v. Fortune a.k.a Time, Inc. (1986).Banta successfully defended the media entity on civil procedure grounds related to the refiling of complaints and the statute of limitations.He also filed an amicus brief in another defamation case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court – Philadelphia Newspapers v. Hepps (1986).